Podcasts have become a daily staple. These audio or video programs bring together enthusiasts on incredibly varied subjects. But maybe you want to jump on the other side of the fence and start your own show. With the various applications that make it easy to broadcast podcasts, everyone can now get started! It's easy, but it still requires a bit of adaptation and some investment to produce quality podcasts. We therefore offer you a selection of products to get you started creating a podcast, while being in recording comfort. Follow our advice and discover our selection to choose the right microphone and equip yourself with headphones, even a camcorder or mixer, according to your budget and your ambitions.

What is a podcast?

A podcast is a broadcast, most often in audio, but also in video, to which one subscribes. New episodes are synced with an app, and you can listen to them online or offline. There are a large number of podcasts on all subjects, even the most advanced. Whatever his center of interest, we can almost find a podcast dedicated to it, generally produced by people passionate about the theme. The podcast is also the preferred way for radio stations to offer their programs in "replay". The word podcast is originally the contraction of two words: Pod, which means “capsule”, but which mainly refers to the iPod, and “cast” which means “broadcast”. Podcasts appeared as the iPod became popular and became the device to have in your pocket to listen to music. And why not other things, such as radio-type broadcasts?

This is how the podcast appeared, using a technology already well known for blogs: RSS feeds, to which you subscribe to get the latest news from your favorite site. The podcast uses one of the functionalities of RSS feeds which is the possibility of attaching a file to a feed, in this case an audio file in MP3 or AAC format. The first podcasts had to use a roundabout way to synchronize with a walkman, like the iPodder application. Very soon, however, Apple saw the potential of podcasts and integrated them into iTunes first, then directly into the iPhone, iPad, or even Mac now with a dedicated Apple Podcasts app. Today many applications allow you to listen to podcasts, in particular Podcast Addict on Android, Pocket Casts on iOS and Android, Overcast on iOS or even more recently Spotify or Amazon Music, which in turn are starting podcasts.

What is the essential equipment to record a podcast?

The podcast is a very popular medium for a simple reason: anyone can make one. All you have to do is be passionate about a subject, have an idea for a show, and get started. This is for theory.

Now, if you can very well do a podcast with your simple computer microphone and a pair of headphones, it's not recommended if you want to do a good podcast! The first thing you need, of course, is a good microphone. There are now many microphones already designed for podcasting, and suitable for recording voice. The type of microphone and especially the type of capsule can lead to radically different results. For a podcast where you are the only one speaking in a room, we recommend a cardioid type microphone, which will only record sounds coming from the front of the microphone without picking up what is happening from the sides or the back, and thus limit sounds that should not be in your space. On the other hand, a two-way microphone can be interesting if you are carrying out an interview type format in the presence of your interlocutor. For the connection, some will want to go through a sound card and you will then need a microphone with a jack or preferably XLR output. However, most "special podcast" microphones connect directly via USB to your computer and integrate their own audio interface. They usually come with a stand, but you might want an articulated arm that hooks onto your desk. Check for a pop filter or add one to your list. As important as the microphone: the headphones! You are not going to listen to your interlocutors or your own voice with your speakers, otherwise feedback is guaranteed. You will need good quality headphones that give you good feedback on your sound.

And of course, you will need a computer that is reliable enough and has enough storage to make your recordings. And of course, if you add video, you will also need a good digital camcorder, or at least a quality webcam. But a podcast is not made in one go: there will most certainly be editing or corrections to be made to your recording. For this, you can use free software like Audacity, which is probably not the easiest solution to access, but which can be effective with a minimum of learning. Renowned podcasters use software such as Logic from Apple on Mac or Adobe Audition which allows for quality multi-track editing.

How to make and record a podcast?

A podcast can be done in several ways, it depends on the format. If you have the idea of ​​a small chronicle-style format, it's quite simple: write your text (or improvise if you feel like it), record your voice, and possibly do some editing, such as adding jingles or other segments. For a podcast with several people, on the other hand, it can be a little more complicated. If your speakers are physically present, you can ideally record them on separate microphones, connected to different audio tracks: this will make editing easier later on. If you are remote, a solution has made its way. This involves making an audio or video call with software like Skype, for the basic conversation. Each participant records, during the call, his audio track separately, with for example Quicktime Player on Mac or the tape recorder on Windows.

At the end of the recording, the person who will perform the editing retrieves the audio tracks and can then edit in maximum quality. Beware all the same of the track shifts that may occur.

You can also record the call itself as a backup track, or trust this single recording completely if it went well and there is no need for post-editing.

What budget to make a quality podcast?

The budget for making a quality podcast can vary depending on whether you already have a computer capable enough to record and edit audio or not. Let's assume that's the case. The two main components you will need are a microphone and a headset. For the first, you will find good USB or XLR microphones, for voice between 100 and 180 euros. In the case of an XLR microphone, you will need to add a sound card. If you intend to record alone in a room or two, an external card around 100 euros generally offers two XLR and/or jack inputs, which will suffice. On the other hand, if you have the ambition to produce a program with more than two speakers, you will have to switch to a more expensive solution. You can find audio interfaces with mixer, 4 XLR microphone inputs and 4 headphone outputs around 500 euros.

Finally, for a video podcast, a good camcorder can be around 200 euros. If you have a smartphone with recognized video qualities such as the iPhone 11 Pro, this can also be a solution, but beware of the sound problem which may require additional adapters.

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